Client controlled dynamic call forwarding

• US 8,837,704 B2
• Filed: 08/31/2006
• Issued: 09/16/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Ramanathan, Rajesh, Raghav, Amritansh, Shtiegman, Eran, Bobde, Nikhil
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Khai N
• Application Number:
  US11/513,518
• Publication Number:
  US 20080075261A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,938 Days
• Field of Search: 379/220.01, 379/242, 379/201.03, 379/212.01, 37921101-21102, 379/142.07, 379/157, 379/201.01, 379/201.02, 379/213.01, 379/215.01, 379/70, 379/88.19, 379/93.35, 379/207.02, 379/210.02, 379/210.03, 379/214.01, 455/518, 455/414.1, 455/417, 455/432.3, 370/389, 370/493, 370/356
• US Class Current: 379/220.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1096 Supplementary features, e.g. call forwarding or call holding systems providing special services or facilities to telephony subscribers H04M3/42
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1104 Session initiation protocol [SIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42153 by subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/54 Arrangements for diverting calls for one subscriber to another predetermined subscriber based on the calling party profile H04M3/42059; based on location H04M3/42348; based on presence H04M3/42365; to voice mail H04M3/53308

Abstract

A client-side signaling mechanism that allows a client to control how a telephone call is handled on a call server. The client user can create call routing rules on the client device using a client control component that manages session protocol messages. Once created, the call routing rule(s) created on the client are transmitted to the call server where a call routing component of the call server processes the rule(s) for a call related to the client. When the server receives the rule(s) and determines that the rule(s) are related to an existing call (incoming or currently in-process), the server halts current normal server rules processing for that call and executes the client-created rule(s). In one example, SIP session messages are employed for client control of server-side call forwarding.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a client rules component operative to enable a client portable communication device to create one or more call routing rules to route calls of the client portable communication device;

a storage component operative to store the one or more call routing rules at the client portable communication device; and

a control component operative to retrieve a call routing rule from the storage component for an in-process call of the client portable communication device, and send the call routing rule from the client portable communication device to a call server handling routing of the in-process call of the client portable communication device that interrupts and overrides a current call routing rule being applied to the in-process call of the client portable communication device by the call server handling routing of the in-process call of the client portable communication device;

the control component further operative to expose session protocol messages for user access, and wherein the user creates a client-side script to route the in-process call of the client portable communication device upon execution, the client-side script sent from the client portable communication device to the call server handling routing of the in-process call of the client portable communication device.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, the control component further operative to send one or more messages of a session protocol to the call server handling routing of the in-process call of the client portable communication device, to control the routing of the in-process call of the client portable communication device.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, the session protocol comprising a session initiation protocol (SIP).

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein a provisional response message of the SIP includes a call forwarding rule to route the in-process call of the client portable communication device upon execution of the call forwarding rule, the call forwarding rule sent from the client portable communication device to the call server handling routing of the in-process call of the client portable communication device.

5. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein a redirection response message of the SIP includes a call forwarding rule to route the in-process call of the client portable communication device upon execution, the call forwarding rule sent from the client portable communication device to the call server handling routing of the in-process call of the client portable communication device.

6. The apparatus of claim 3, the control component further operative to facilitate routing of the in-process call of the client portable communication device using at least one of 1xx and 3xx SIP responses.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, the control component further operative to facilitate controlling routing of the in-process call of the client portable communication device by the call server handling routing of the in-process call of the client portable communication device while concurrently processing signaling and messaging at the client.

8. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

developing at a client portable communication device a call forwarding rule operative to process and route calls of the client portable communication device;

storing the call forwarding rule at the client portable communication device;

receiving a signal at the client portable communication device indicating that a call of the client portable communication device has been received for processing by a call server handling routing of the received call of the client portable communication device;

sending the call forwarding rule from the client portable communication device to the call server handling routing of the received call of the client portable communication device, while the received call is in-process, that causes the call server to interrupt and override a current call routing rule being applied to the in-process call of the client portable communication device;

creating a script at the client portable device, the script including one or more of SIP provisional response messages and SIP redirect response messages, the script operative to route the in-process call of the client portable communication device; and

transmitting the script to the call server handling routing of the in-process call of the client portable communication device for execution in response to receiving the in-process call of the client portable communication device.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, comprising dynamically signaling the call server handling routing of the call of the client portable communication device from the client portable communication device to forward the call of the client portable communication device when the call of the client portable communication device is received.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, the call forwarding rule comprising a presence rule operative to route calls of the client portable communication device based on a detected presence of one or more other online clients.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, the call forwarding rule comprising a location rule operative to route calls of the client portable communication device based on a detected change in geographic location of the client portable communication device.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, the call forwarding rule comprising a SIP message operative to route the call of the client portable communication device at the server upon execution of the SIP message.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, the call forwarding rule comprising a call type rule operative to route calls of the client portable communication device based on a detected call type.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, the call forwarding rule operative to connect multiple different call parties to the call of the client portable communication device.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, the call forwarding rule operative to dynamically terminate the call of the client portable communication device at another device while the client portable communication device is currently processing another call.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, comprising sending the call forwarding rule to the call server handling routing of the call of the client portable communication device in response to receiving the call of the call portable communication device, which is a public switched telephone network (PSTN)-based call, the call forwarding rule further operative to route the call of the client portable communication device to a mobile phone.

17. A call management system for a client wireless device, comprising:

means for creating, at a client wireless device, a call routing rule to route calls of the client wireless device;

means for storing the call routing rule at the client wireless device;

means for receiving a signal at the client wireless device indicating that a call of the client wireless device has been received for processing by a call server handling routing of the call of the client wireless device;

means for sending the call routing rule from the client wireless device to the call server handling routing of the call of the client wireless device, while the call is in-process, that interrupts and overrides a current call routing rule being applied to the in-process call of the client wireless device by the call server handling routing of the call of the client wireless device;

means for creating a script at the client wireless device, the script including one or more of SIP provisional response messages and SIP redirect response messages, the script operative to route the in-process call of the client wireless device; and

means for transmitting the script to the call server handling routing of the in-process call of the client wireless device for execution in response to receiving the in-process call of the client wireless device.